Today's implantable supporting bodies, so-called stents, are limited with regard to their mechanical possibilities. For example, no structures representing the physiological needs of the surrounding tissue have been implementable according to the previous methods. Radial or longitudinal forces or forces occurring differently in sections of the implant could in the past be imitated and simulated only individually by an implant but not as a totality, which is why the function and compatibility of such implants are limited.
The purpose of many endoprostheses is to assume a supporting function inside a patient's body. Accordingly, endoprostheses are designed to be implantable and have a supporting structure, which guarantees the supporting function. Implants made of solid metallic structures are known. The choice of metals as the material for the supporting structure of such an implant is based on empirical values from classical mechanics and their relatively well-controlled biocompatibility.
Metallic stents are known in large numbers and in various embodiments. For example, US 2006/0212055 A1 discloses various embodiments of stents comprising individual fibers, for example. One of the main areas of application of such stents is for permanent dilatation of vascular occlusions, in particular stenoses of the coronary vessels and for maintaining their patency. Through the use of stents, the optimum vascular cross section required for primary therapeutic success can be achieved, but the permanent presence of such a foreign body initiates a cascade of microbiological processes, which may lead to a gradual occlusion of the stent.